Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Business: EU Law

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what work his Department is undertaking on identifying EU regulations that have a cost to British businesses that could be repealed or replaced.

Margot James: In the short term, the Government will continue to seek the amendment or repeal of EU rules within the framework of the European Commission’s Regulatory Fitness (REFIT) programme, in order to minimise the regulatory burdens imposed on UK businesses. The REFIT programme was established in 2012 to review the stock of existing EU legislation in order to identify burdens, inconsistencies, gaps or ineffective measures and address them. Building on the work of the Red Tape Challenge and the current Cutting Red Tape programme, we will continue our engagement with business to gather their views on their priorities for reducing EU regulatory burdens wherever possible once the UK has left the EU. My Rt Hon Friend the former Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Member for Bromsgrove (Sajid Javid) chaired a roundtable with business leaders, to discuss the challenges faced by businesses and ensure that the negotiation of the UK’s future relationship with the EU is carried out in the interest of UK companies, investors, potential investors and workers.

EU Grants and Loans: Liverpool City Region

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much funding from the (a) European Regional Development Fund and (b) European Social Fund was spent in (i) Liverpool, Wavertree constituency and (ii) each borough of the Liverpool City Region in each year since 2010.

Margot James: Information is not held for individual constituencies or boroughs. Figures are recorded for Merseyside and are from the 2007-13 programming period where projects could spend money up to the end of 2015, with some reimbursements taking place in 2016. The figures for the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) are:Year£m Merseyside2009£77.302010£25.002011£28.802012£27.002013£29.702014£21.602015£33.502016£20.75 Total£263.65 For the European Social Fund (ESF) figures as follows: Year£m Merseyside2010£44.042011£20.582012£11.612013£8.752014£7.702015£9.932016£0.29Total£102.90

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whom he has appointed as his special advisers.

Margot James: A list of Special Advisers in Government will be published in due course.

British Airways: Conditions of Employment

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will investigate whether TUPE provisions have been applied to British Airways IT workers' jobs that have been outsourced in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: When a business changes owner, TUPE regulations may apply. Outsourcing part of their business is a commercial decision taken by British Airways and it is not a matter for the Government to investigate such decisions.

Companies: Registration

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on the level of address fraud in the registration of companies; and if his Department will seek to review the process and legislation for the registration of companies in order to avoid such fraud in future.

Margot James: As part of its responsibility for maintaining the UK companies register, Companies House undertake some basic checks on companies during the incorporation process. The Government has no current plans to require additional processes and checks before registration. Companies House maintains statistics on the nature of the complaints it receives about alleged address fraud. Companies House follows up on all complaints received about newly incorporated companies and works closely with law enforcement agencies where fraudulent activity is suspected. It is an offence under the Companies Act to submit false information to Companies House.

Companies: Ownership

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has responsibility for the public register of beneficial ownership of UK companies.

Margot James: The register of people with significant control will be held at Companies House, which is an agency of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Companies: Ownership

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how the public register of beneficial ownership of UK companies can be accessed.

Margot James: Companies House’s register of the information provided by UK companies on their People with Significant Control (PSCs) is public and freely accessible, and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-house . Since 30 June, companies have been required to provide information on their PSCs to Companies House as the Confirmation Statement (formerly the annual return) becomes due. The register will therefore build up over time and be complete from 29 June 2017.